Ni-based bulk-glass forming alloys bearing P capable of forming glassy rods with diameters of several millimeters and up to one centimeter or more have recently been disclosed. Bulk-glass forming Ni—Cr—Nb—P—B alloys have been disclosed in the following recent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/592,095, entitled “Bulk Nickel-Based Chromium and Phosphorous Bearing Metallic Glasses”, filed on Aug. 22, 2012, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/067,521, entitled “Bulk Nickel-Based Chromium and Phosphorous Bearing Metallic Glasses with High Toughness”, filed on Oct. 30, 2013, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Bulk-glass forming Ni—Mo—Nb—P—B alloys have been disclosed in the following recent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/048,894, entitled “Bulk Nickel-Phosphorous-Boron Glasses Bearing Molybdenum,” filed on Oct. 8, 2013, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Bulk-glass forming Ni—Cr—Ta—P—B alloys have been disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/081,622, entitled “Bulk Nickel-Phosphorous-Boron Glasses Bearing Chromium and Tantalum,” filed on Nov. 15, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Bulk-glass forming Ni—Cr—Mn—P—B alloys have been disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/769,707, entitled “Bulk Nickel-Phosphorous-Boron Glasses Bearing Chromium and Manganese,” filed on Feb. 26, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Bulk-glass forming Ni—Mn—Nb—P—B alloys have been disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 61/866,743, entitled “Bulk Nickel-Phosphorus-Boron Glasses Bearing Manganese and Niobium,” filed on Aug. 16, 2013, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The bulk-glass-forming alloys disclosed in the aforementioned applications include B in their composition. B is an expensive element, and is considered the main cost driver of those compositions. The aforementioned applications do not disclose how one can arrive at a Ni-based P-bearing bulk-glass-forming alloy that is free of B.
Japanese Patents JP63-79930 and JP63-79931 (the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference) are broadly directed to Ni-based P-bearing corrosion-resistant metallic glasses, including some B-free compositions. However, the references only disclose, in part, the formation of foils processed by rapid solidification, and do not describe how one can arrive at specific compositions requiring low cooling rates to form glass such that they are capable of forming bulk metallic glasses having thickness of up to a centimeter or more, nor do they propose that the formation of such bulk glasses is even possible. There remains a need for developing bulk metallic glasses free of boron.